Improved bath-tub



i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN o. OLAP?, OE HOMEE, NEW YORK.

IMPROVED BATH-TUB.

Specilication forming part of Letters Patent No. 69,968, dated October22, 1867.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN C. GLAPP, of Homer, in the county of Cortlandand State of NewYork, have invented a new and Improved Collapsible andPortable Bath; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full andexact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, making part of this specification.

Figure l is a perspective view of my improved bath; Figs. 2, 3, and 4,views in diierent portions of the frame.

My invention consists in a flexible collapsible portable bath orreceptacle, made of rubber cloth.l oil-cloth.l or othersuitableimpervious material so arranged as to hold water and allow thebathing of the person therein, and when not in use capable of beingfolded up for storage or transportation.

It also consists of a frame used in connection therewith.

Asrepresented in the drawings, A is the bath. I prefer to make it ofindia-rubber cloth;

but, if desired, it may be made of oil-cloth or any other llexiblematerial that will answer the purpose. It is made of the dishing orhollowing sha-pe shown for holding the water necessary in bathing, andit may be either formed entire from a single piece of cloth, or it maybe formed of several pieces cut ot' the proper shape and seamed so as tobe watertight. The size may be such as not only to hold the requisiteamount of water, but also to receive the person of the bather.

rlhe great advantage of this invention will be apparent at a glance. Itanswers the same purpose, for general use, as the ordinary inetallictub, while it is much simpler and cheaper. It can be extended in size asmuch as desired without involving great cost. For travelers ilse it isof much importance, for in transportation `it can be' rolled up andpacked in very small compass, and in vuse it is only necessary to unrollit, when it answers the purpose when an ordinary bath cannot beobtained. It is also of much value in bathing children. If made ofrubber or oil-cloth, the water will liever penetrate, and therefore itis easily dried. It is also kept clean by washing.

To suitably support the bath, I prefer to ernploy a frame of thefollowing construction: The top edges of the bath are scanned, as shown,or otherwise provided with attachments, and through these seams ou thesides are run rods B B, having jointed or hinged to the ends thereoflegs G C in such a manner as to fold up longitudinally4 when desired, asshown in Fig. 3. Through the end seams are run rods D D, having theirends a a turned down in right-angled form, as shown in Fig. 4. Theinside of the legs, at the top, and also the ends of the side rods, B,have small vertical sockets b b, which receive the ends a a of the endrods.

By this connection of the parts composing the frame the same is stiienedwhile in use, as in Fig. l; but when it is desirable to fold the bathfor storage or transportation the disconnection of the parts will allowit to be done without difficulty.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A portable bath made of india-rubber cloth or equivalent flexiblewater-tight material, in such a formand manner that it may be collapsedand com pactly folded or rolled into a portable bundle, substantially asherein specilied.

2. The combination of the frame B C D with the portable bath A, thewhole constructed and operated substantially in the manner and for thepurpose herein set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

JOHN C. CLAPP.

Witnesses: Y

R. F. OsGooD, J. A. DAVIS.

